At the beginning of the 90s, my first in person exposure to PRS was seeing them hanging high on the wall at Classic Axe. I bought so much “used” aka vintage stuff there over the years. Marshall 2204. ,71 hardtail strat. Some Gibbos and other odds and ends. I was a gear hound from the time I was 19. I would always look up at those PRS guitars and they seemed like unobtanium candy. Not just behind the counter like the new Heritage guitars, but almost scraping the ceiling. So out of reach. I never asked Russ to try one out. I was smitten with the vintage Vox’s and Orange’s that were all down on my level.
Fast forward a couple years. Would have been February or March of 94. I had a Tele 71 strat, a Les Paul and an L6S Midnight Special, a couple Ibanez’s… but I still thought about those PRS guitars.
So after rooting around in some magazines, I ended up calling Indoor Storm (anybody remember them?), and I straight up cold-ordered a Custom 22 in Emerald Green with gold hardware and Birds of course. Gotta have Birds on that first PRS. Was told it would take 6-7 months. I was cool with that.
I got a call about 2 months later that my guitar had arrived at Indoor Storm and they were shipping it to me. I had the guitar by June of ‘94. Figured it was either a slow period at the factory, or they were doing someone’s higher spec guitar and it hadn’t carved right so they went Emerald with it and it became mine? Anyway.
That’s how it all started. And less than 10 years later I had like 14 of them at my “worst”. Mostly with Soapbars. Some really rare ducks among them. And of course my PS HB1 with Soapbars. Now all long gone.
And a few years back I stumbled into an older McCarty. I revamped it more “modern” parts and dug it, but eventually sold that too, and now have an ‘01 McSoapy as my 1 and only again. It too has been revamped. But it is very comfortable to be in familiar company.
Ha!
